Youth Camp : Day One

Our grand journey to Winter Park, Colorado has begun. We loaded 13 bright eyed and bushy tailed teenagers onto the bus at 5:30 this morning and headed out for youth camp. Right now this cool thing is happening where we sit in two crowded lanes waiting for traffic to get through a construction zone. Total blast. Not to worry, the campers seem oblivious. They are watching Karate Kid. I haven't heard much out of them so far. I'm surprised to see that the majority of our students are boys. I believe there is a misconception about young men in church. It is often more obvious when girls are impacted by the Holy Spirit. But while emotional responses are typical of girls, this is not the norm in boys. Just because a young man doesn't cry all over you, certainly doesn't mean that God is not working in his heart and his life. I think we will be doing our young men a great service by respecting their responses to God. I have heard many opinions floating around in the Church about the role of men in Christianity today. Some are quick to demand that if men would be the leaders God wants them to be, the Church wouldn't have problems. Personally, I believe this ideology has some serious holes in it. Does that kind of thinking stem from a desire to place blame, or from sincere attempts to encourage our brothers? How can we expect positive results from negative communication? God 's will for the church is that we be united in Christ. Every one of us lived up to our necks in sin at one time. When sin entered the garden, relationships broke. The companionship designed by God between man and woman was damaged and we see the effects even today. But Christ came to fix the brokenness. It is so important that we recognize that the redemption Jesus brought inside us wasn't meant to stop there. Christ came to set right, to bind up the broken, and to give light in the dark places. As Christians, the way we think about and treat other people needs to do justice to the grace we ourselves have received. hold up. The Karate Kid sounds were just replaced by an incredibly cheesy 90's praise and worship station. This has happened at least 4 times so far and I am finding the phenomenon pretty hilarious. You'll have to find it within your heart to forgive that I find Optimus Prime singing Steven Curtis Chapman entertaining. No one else seems to appreciate it either. Not to worry. I look forward to getting to know these teenagers this week and meeting my small group later this evening. The arrival of this week makes my trip seem unbelievably close. After that, it is time to start real life again. Bring it on August! I think I can get a good snooze in before we get there. Peace out, Girl Scout.